In a number of applications, individuals extract the active ingredients of plant materials such as tobacco, herbs, oil and other beneficial materials (hereafter ‘herbs’ or ‘herb material’) to treat a variety of conditions. Typically, the extracted ingredients are then delivered via inhalation to the individual. A vaporizer is a device used to extract the active ingredients of herbs for inhalation. Vaporization involves heating an herb material so that its active compounds boil off into a vapor. As opposed to smoking, i.e., burning, vaporization avoids the production of irritating, toxic, and carcinogenic by-products as no combustion occurs.
There are two main heating types for vaporization: conduction and convection. In conduction heating, heat is transferred directly to the herb material. That is, a heating element transfers heat directly to herb material physically contacting the heating element. In convention heating, air is heated to a desired temperature and then passed through herb material to be vaporized.
Convection type vaporizers employ an airflow heating element/heat exchanger that heats air passing through the heating element to a vaporization temperature, which allows extracting active ingredients from the herb material. To extract active ingredients of most herbs utilizing convection heating, the vaporization temperature of the heated air is generally between about 275 and about 400 degrees Fahrenheit. However, the vaporization temperature varies depending on the type of herb material.
Users of vaporizers often prefer the devices to be portable. In this regard, users tend to prefer vaporizers having a small form factor similar in size to a pen or electronic cigarette. However, due to the high temperatures required to vaporize herbs, significant amounts of electrical power are required. Along these lines, prior art battery powered vaporizers are effective for only a small number of uses per charge. To provide a small, portable vaporizer that allows for numerous uses, it is desirable that the heating element/heat exchanger be small, efficient and capable of generating necessary vaporization temperatures.